Approximately $18 million in grants and loans have been awarded to affordable housing owners as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, announced the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Today’s first wave of awards will help fund energy-efficiency and climate-resiliency upgrades at 28 properties with more than 3,400 HUD-assisted rental homes for low-income families, seniors, and persons with disabilities.
“As a part of President Biden’s historic investment in climate resiliency, HUD is building a more equitable and sustainable housing system. This first wave of funding will invest in properties by making resiliency upgrades like adding solar panels, updating heating and cooling, and replacing windows,” said HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “The Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP) advances our work to ensure low-income individuals and families have better access to healthy, energy-efficient, and resilient homes.”
The Inflation Reduction Act established the GRRP with more than $800 million in grant and loan subsidy funding and $4 billion in loan commitment authority. It is the first HUD program to simultaneously invest in energy efficiency, renewable energy generation, climate resilience, and low embodied carbon materials in HUD-assisted multifamily housing, according to the agency.
This is the first round of GRRP awards to be released, with additional rounds coming this year and in 2024.In this round, owners of properties participating in HUD’s Section 8 project-based rental assistance, Section 202 Supportive Housing for Low-Income Elderly, and Section 811 Supportive Housing for Low-Income Persons with Disabilities programs received funding commitments under the GRRP’s “Elements” award category.
Elements awards provide funding for property owners to include climate resilience and energy- and water-efficiency improvements at properties that are already in the process of a development or rehabilitation transaction.
Upgrades financed under the Elements category will support a range of improvements, such as the installation of heat-wave resilient cool roofs and fire-resistant roofs, on-site solar power systems, insulation and air sealing, heat pumps, energy-efficient windows, and similar upgrades.
Here is a list of the first-round award recipients:
| Grantee | City | State | Property Name | Award Amount | Award Type |
| Vitus Group | Glendale | CA | Palmer Park | $ 331,635 | Loan |
| Related Affordable | Waterbury | CT | Nottingham Towers | $ 743,283 | Loan |
| Enterprise Community Development | Washington | DC | Edgewood Commons V | $ 750,000 | Loan |
| Colona House | East Moline | IL | Colona House | $ 660,807 | Grant |
| Full Circle Communities | Chicago | IL | Brainerd Senior Center | $ 750,000 | Loan |
| Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) | Chicago | IL | Island Terrace | $ 750,000 | Grant |
| Related Affordable | Champaign | IL | Round Barn Manor Apartments | $ 750,000 | Grant |
| Related Affordable | Kankakee | IL | Riverwoods Apartments | $ 552,313 | Loan |
| Fountain Place | Connersville | IN | Fountain Place | $ 353,873 | Grant |
| Fairstead | Louisville | KY | Chenoweth Woods Apartments | $ 750,000 | Grant |
| Fairstead | Lexington | KY | Malabu Manor Apartments | $ 750,000 | Grant |
| Enterprise Community Development | Baltimore | MD | Park Heights Place | $ 381,851 | Loan |
| Enterprise Community Development | Baltimore | MD | Greens at Irvington Mews Phase II | $ 750,000 | Loan |
| Forward Housing Preservation | Waldorf | MD | Wakefield Terrace | $ 750,000 | Loan |
| Homes for America | Baltimore | MD | Foxwell Memorial Apartments | $ 314,268 | Grant |
| Vitus Group | Coon Rapids | MN | Mississippi View | $ 714,351 | Loan |
| McCormack Baron Salazar | St. Louis | MO | The Brewery Apartments | $ 750,000 | Loan |
| Related Affordable | Kansas City | MO | Plaza Apartments | $ 576,669 | Loan |
| Skyline | Fenton | MO | Hawkins Village Apartments | $ 523,069 | Loan |
| Delshah | Staten Island | NY | St George Plaza | $ 750,000 | Grant |
| Delshah | Staten Island | NY | Parkhill II Apartments | $ 750,000 | Grant |
| Delshah | Staten Island | NY | Parkhill I Apartments | $ 750,000 | Grant |
| L+M Fund Management | New York | NY | Revive 103 | $ 192,000 | Grant |
| Related Affordable | Poughkeepsie | NY | Rip Van Winkle House | $ 647,700 | Loan |
| Essence Development | Toledo | OH | Alpha Towers | $ 750,000 | Grant |
| POAH | Cincinnati | OH | Community Manor Apartments | $ 750,000 | Grant |
| POAH | Cincinnati | OH | Pendleton Estates Apartments | $ 750,000 | Grant |
| Wesley Living | Lexington | TN | Woodland Homes | $ 750,000 | Grant |
The program’s Notices of Funding Opportunity and additional guidance released on May 11, detail the multiple grant and loan funding options for which property owners may apply under the program’s three categories:
- Elements provides funding to owners for proven and meaningful climate resilience and utility efficiency measures in projects that are already in the process of being recapitalized.
- Leading Edge provides funding to owners with plans for ambitious retrofit activities to achieve an advanced green certification.
- Comprehensive provides funding to properties with the highest need for climate resilience and utility efficiency upgrades, regardless of prior development or environmental retrofit experience.
HUD said property owners are encouraged to continue to submit applications for grant awards or loans in any of the three categories. HUD is accepting applications under one category each month for the duration of funding availability. HUD expects to announce awards regularly throughout this year and 2024, including awards under the Leading Edge category in the coming weeks.
